Not An Ordinary Egg - Black Copper Marans

At first glance you may not see the beauty of this egg.  But in my eyes, it is a dream come true.  I was fortunate to receive a Black Copper Marans rooster and hen from a friend on Christmas Eve.  A few weeks later, we got our first egg.  Typical of the breed, the eggs are a very dark brown.  Some people refer to them as “chocolate”.  We saved several eggs and put them in the incubator.  After a week, we candled the eggs and found out not a single egg in the first batch was fertile.  With young birds, this is not uncommon.  Soon a second group of eggs was placed in the incubator.  Our first chick was born on February 25.  To date five chicks have hatched and appear happy and healthy.  We hope to have a few more hatching out this weekend.  Raising our own chickens is an exciting step toward becoming a more self-sustainable farm.     

A Beautiful Mess

It may be bare and muddy, but is also a step in the right direction.  If you’ve visited our farm, you came in past a field that was previously lined with trees.  (If you haven’t visited the farm you should.)   This field was fenced last fall in order to allow more room for the sheep.  Our small flock enjoyed the room to run, but they also enjoyed eating the shrubbery.  Not happy to mix their greens, the sheep would work their way up one row of trees, eating everything they could reach.   Then they would proceed to the next row.  The only trees left standing are the ones sheep must not like to eat.  We had been considering converting some land into pasture.  Thanks to the sheep, the decision is now quite easy.  We have a little more work to smooth the ground and plant the grass.  Give us a few months and we should have the start of a beautiful pasture, rather than a beautiful mess.

Half The Biscuit

We recently discovered our Biscuit is not half the dog we thought he was. Of course, we are talking mass here. With the hot weather our one-year old Great Pyranees is finally blowing his undercoat. A few days ago, we began brushing him to get rid of the hot layer of thick hair. To say the least, he was shedding...and shedding... and shedding. So far, we removed about two bushels of hair and expect just as much to come off him in the next few days.

Biscuit is our livestock guardian dog. Let me tell you, he is tough. Don't let the name fool you. At the age of 5 months he stood face to face with a coyote. He stood his ground and protected the goats in his pen. Granted, there was a fence between him and the coyote, but we were still very proud of him.

During a recent birthday party, an eight-year old boy approached Biscuit. Biscuit simply licked the boy and enjoyed the petting. This is the attitude of a true guardian dog. He protects when necessary, but displays a laid-back personality the rest of the time.

Our big boy Biscuit is half the size he was before removing the undercoat, but his heart and spirit are twice as big as we had hoped. Like all the animals on our farm, he pulls his weight. Well, he pulls the weight we thought he had.

Simple Roast Chicken (With Grass-Stained Feet)

We have had many positive comments about our chickens with grass-stained feet. Those who have cooked one or more, come back because of the great taste. Time and time again, they say, "This tastes so much better than the ones you get at the grocery store." Of course, there are at least two reasons for this. First, our chickens are raised on grass and they have get excercise. You will find our chickens eating their greens, running after bugs and resting under bushes. Second, we process our chickens right here on the farm. That means, they are pecking at our shoestrings shortly before they fulfill their destiny. There is no long, stressful trip to a place of doom. If you haven't tried one, I know you will agree. There is a difference in Deerwood chickens.
Now, there are some people who are a bit intimidated by a whole fresh or frozen chicken. They simply don't know how to cook them. To start out our summer recipe series, we came up with Simple Roast Chicken (With Grass-Stained Feet). We will have these available at the Saluda and Hendersonville Tailgate Markets this weekend (June 3rd and 4th). Now, even the novice can cook a whole chicken (or two) and impress feed their families a simple, healthy, and tasty meal. Stop by and see us.

A Bouquet For The Pigs

There is no official holiday to celebrate pigs, but we thought it would be nice to let them know they are special. Today, we brought our pigs a bouquet of pigweed. As you can tell, they enjoyed the special treat and gladly ate from our hands. Once the bouquet was finished, they followed us looking for more.
In our usual routine, after feeding the pigs, we scratch their backs. They push to be the next in line for their spa treatment. Why do we do this? We have often seen the pigs rubbing against a tree to scratch their itches. Sometimes it is a back and sometimes it is a rump that has an itch that simply must be cured. Seeing their joy, we began scratching the pigs when they were younger. Now it is a great opportunity to have the pigs comfortable with our presence. We enjoy being around the pigs (being careful not to let them step on our feet) and they enjoy being around us.
So, to the great folks who have enjoyed our pork at the Hendersonville and Saluda Tailgate Markets, we want to share our pigs and let you know how they are raised. Many people have asked and we are certainly glad so many people care about the humane living (and processing) conditions of these great pigs. They have plenty of room to run around and live the way pigs are meant to live. Naturally!

The Buckeyes Are Here!

The Buckeyes Are Here

You can probably tell from the pictures these Buckeyes don’t fall from trees. These are Buckeye chicks and they are on the “threatened” list on the American Livestock Breed Conservancy website. This organization works to help preserve breeds that might otherwise be lost. After several months of research our family has decided to work with the Buckeye chickens. Our young son refers to them as the “extinct” chickens. We were able to purchase 36 Buckeye eggs and that is where our story begins.

We have been waiting 21 days for this glorious moment. It was late Saturday afternoon when we discovered the first peep hole in one of the eggs. This is when the excitement begins to build. Not only can we watch for this egg to break open, but we watch for other eggs to start the hatching process as well. Just to be sure the audience doesn’t stray too far, we can hear cheeping noises from inside the eggs well before the chicks make their debut. The first chick took several hours to finally break free from the home he was quickly outgrowing. With one final effort, the chick freed himself from the egg and we saw a wet, weak bird resting in the warmth of the incubator. Before long, he was up and about exploring his surroundings and calling for other chicks to follow.

Once the chicks rest and dry we move them to the brooder box. Here their beaks are dipped in water. This is a typical method of “showing” the chicks where to find water. A bit of food is spread on newspaper so they learn food tastes good. After they have a taste of the good stuff, they try to eat shavings and leave them alone since they don’t taste good. The chicks will huddle under the warmth of the heat lamp, and will stray away from the light when they are warm enough. When the chicks are tired they simply flop forward on the ground for a nap. If we didn’t’ know better we would think they were dead. It is truly a unique sight.

So what makes the Buckeye chicks unique? In our few hours of experience we have noticed the chicks are very inquisitive; they come toward humans, rather than running away. One chick, only a few hours old, climbed on top of the feeder as if to say, “I have conquered the art of feeding and I am proud of it”! We anxiously look forward to the day these reddish, blond chicks become the regal, dark red beauties we have only enjoyed in pictures.

Potato Seeds??? (For Dummies Like Me)

When kids are asked where French fries come from, they can typically tell you they come from potatoes. The next logical question is to ask where potatoes come from. After explaining they don’t just come from grocery stores, some folks might not be sure they can answer the question correctly. For years, my father told me potatoes (and watermelons for that matter) grew on trees. How was I to know any different? Fortunately, I am finally learning the truth about potatoes.
Potatoes don’t come from seeds, they come from seed potatoes. So what is that you ask, seed potatoes are potatoes that have been kept from the prior year. (If they are purchased, they tend to be more expensive that you might guess.) A root cellar is a great place to store potatoes after they are harvested. Potatoes kept in the root cellar long enough develop eyes. These eyes are the beginnings of new potato plants. The potatoes are cut up with at least one eye in each section. The sections shouldn’t be too large or too small. Sorry, but I can’t be more specific than that because I seem to inevitable cut some too large and some too small, or at least that is what I am told. After these cut sections are allowed to dry out a few days, they can be planted.
As the plants grow, the soil must be “hilled up” around the plant a few times. This allows the plant to grow up and the potatoes to avoid growing down too deeply. When the time is right the potatoes are dug up from the ground. This would be much more difficult if the potatoes were very deep. A pitchfork can be used to dig up the potatoes or a potato plow can be used to turn up the soil and the potatoes. The newly dug potatoes have a thin, delicious skin. With time, the skin becomes slightly thicker and drier. This is God’s way of preserving potatoes.
So, in case you missed the point, potatoes grow under ground. If you come to the farmer’s market and find dirty potatoes, this might just be the sign they are very freshly picked and washing would tear away the delicate skin. You simply take these home and wash them just prior to cooking. The fabulous, fresh taste will be your reward.